Does it really shock anyone that American Idol has gotten mean?

[Horse with no Name]

I have now seen the clip of Simon saying horrible things to an obviously mentally handicapped contestant and am absolutely appalled.
The young man looked like he suffered from microcephaly of some sort.
Simon told him he looked like a monkey.
I was literally in shock.
Is there any depth that Fox won't stoop to?
What's next? Midget tossing?

[ThomCat]

1. I have never watched that show

and never will. I can't stand any show that is based on humiliating people. x(

[Horse with no Name]

7. One of the people today talking about the show

said that by choosing the worst to appear in front of the panel, it rigs the show.
For all the ones that we see that are bad (and there have been quite a few of those)that there was a GOOD contestant who didn't get an audience.
So, yes, I agree...that IS rigging the competition.

[ThomCat]

19. That's a damned shame.

There really are a lot of good performers out there who could use a chance for some good exposure. :(

[Bluebear]

8. It didn't start out that way.

They would show some bizarre auditions, which spoke for themselves. Of course, FOX saw what sold and has obviously instructed the judges to go far over the top with their critique and behavior this year.

[Parche]

14. american dull

I will never watch it either, as I cant stand a show that thinks it is making 'music' stars
out of nobody's.
The 'dumbing' of America

Fantasia Barrino............Hurl hurl hurl

[aikoaiko]

2. linky?

[Frank Cannon]

88. Here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8wyLsv1FKg

[Singular73]

3. That guy did look like a monkey...

But I would venture to guess that he would be much more offended at someone calling him mentally handicapped or afflicted with microcephaly than looking like a monkey.

That kid was normal...just weird lookin'

[saracat]

9. That was my reaction to the OP!

[Sequoia]

34. He looked like Peter Lorrie to me. And he was a big time star.

I felt even more sorry for the guy who came up after him. Poor kid. And the blonde lady with the page boy hair cut. Just mean to them for no reason other than they weren't beautiful and couldn't sing. So what, they tried at least.

Simon ain't exactly a heart throb.

[azmouse]

38. A lot of the contestants dress up weird to get on the show.

I bet if you saw that same blonde woman and her mother today they would look completely different.
They were phony all the way.

[Left Is Write]

51. I completely agree.

There was no way that was their every day look.

[Sequoia]

53. Hey, man, I'm Apollo Creed

[AllegroRondo]

41. The guy after him actually had a decent voice

the one who sang "god bless america".

not bad. certainly not "american idol" level, but he had a respectable singing voice.

[Blue_Roses]

43. I did too!

I've never have watched AI, but it was on that channel for some reason and we just left it on. I couldn't believe the cruelty and yes, I felt so sorry for that poor kid and that blonde lady. At least the guy with the large eyes told Simon to go "fuck himself" (so to speak) I love it when that happens!

[Left Is Write]

50. He didn't seem mentally handicapped to me either.

But Simon's comments about his looks were unnecessarily cruel.

[Singular73]

4. That guy did look like a monkey...

dupe

[AngryAmish]

10. Did the guy look like a monkey?

[Frank Cannon]

89. Budweiser Presents "You Make the Call"

[Horse with no Name]

18. Unreal.

....

[Midlodemocrat]

32. Um. No. that kid looked as though he might be hyperthyroid

because he appeared to have exophthalmos, protruding eyes. He certainly didn't look like a monkey.

:eyes:

[Goblinmonger]

39. Monkey was the kids word.

I think Simon was trying to say lemur. Not that it is any better mind you. I'm just sayin.

[Midlodemocrat]

49. Simon said 'bush baby'

clearly meaning it as an insult.

I felt really sorry for that kid. When Simon said he was 'odd looking' my skin was crawling.

[Goblinmonger]

57. Missed the bush baby

and I'm not trying to defend Simon on this one. I thought it was a lemur because that's the first thing that came into my mind.

[Midlodemocrat]

62. I haven't seen the show from the beginning like that before.

I knew Simon was hard to deal with, but I had no idea he was so harsh.

He was making fun of people for their physicality. It made me sick.

One thing though, I don't understand why some of those folks don't have parents or friends who would tell them that they can't sing. I mean, for a couple of those guys, it was really like nails on a chalkboard.

[Left Is Write]

52. You mean Graves disease?

[Midlodemocrat]

64. Graves' is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism

but I don't know if that kid had it or not. The exophthalmos was pretty apparent, though. At least to me.

[Left Is Write]

66. Graves disease caused my husband's hyperthyroidism.

It isn't outwardly obvious on him, though.

[Midlodemocrat]

68. Probably caught it in time.

I have seen some seriously mean cases of exophthalmos in my day and boy, sometimes it is not pretty at all.

[Left Is Write]

70. Yep. I can tell the difference between how he looks now and how he did 10 years ago,

but anyone just meeting him now wouldn't guess he had Graves.

[Zookeeper]

58. Yes, I also thought it might be a thyroid problem...

and I thought it was rude of Simon to point it out.

This season does seem to be meaner. Not necessarily the judges, but the length of time the producers choose to spend filming upset contestants. I usually think it's fun to watch the bad singers (having no singing ability myself), but the last two shows have just been sad.

And I don't like most of the songs and overwrought singing style of the last episodes, so, I'll probably stop watching sooner than later.

[soothsayer]

72. no, like a bush baby

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:_2Y6aHKnByGziM:

[SharonRB]

5. I saw part of it last night, and it was pretty appalling

I don't mind when Simon comments on their lack of talent, but he was being really personal and I didn't like it one bit.

[Midlodemocrat]

30. This go round was the first time I have seen it from the beginning. I have

see it towards the end, but my 10yo wanted me to watch it with her.

I have to say, I was appalled at the meanness as well as the shocking lack of talent. One of my daughter's friends tried out and this kid is Good, I mean, really, really good and he never even got to SEE Paula et al.

It makes me wonder after watching last night whether or not they picked the oddest dressed bunch to appear just to make watercooler talk.

Pretty sad stuff, I thought.

[saracat]

6. Don't be ridiculous! Simon is always mean and the contestent

was not"mentally hanicapped" .He was perfectly sensible and coherent when interviwed.He and an overweight friend had confidence but zero talent. I think Simon is the only legitimate critic on that show and his "meanness" is why people watch. I am just asounded that so many tone deah, talentless people think they can sing, and how so many physically unattractive people think they are "sexy" or attractive.I don't think these people are mentally handicapped but they are delusional!

[Horse with no Name]

13. Did you happen to notice the prominent features?

The low set ears?
The smaller-than-normal head?
I've seen quite a few "syndromes" and I am telling you...this kid has microcephaly. Of what etiology, I don't know without more information.
Many mentally handicapped people function on high levels but are never completely normal.
But it is virtually impossible to have a normal size brain in an abnormally small head.

[Zookeeper]

60. His head didn't strike me as being too small for his body....

but, I did think he had a thyroid or hormonal problem. Simon was rude to point it out, and the producers were exploiting that kid and his buddy, IMHO.

[Maine-ah]

74. you're diagnosing from watching (basically) ten minutes

of video.

[Horse with no Name]

77. Microcephaly is NOT a diagnosis

It is a trained observation.
Micro--meaning small
Cephaly--pertaining to head
If you read what I said...you will see that I said that I didn't know what diagnosis the boy might have without more information.
I've been a nurse for 20 years and I will say that I am pretty capable of rendering this observation.
Thanks for your concern.

[Maine-ah]

84. for us unedumacated dolts....

What is Microcephaly?
Microcephaly is a medical condition in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal because the brain has not developed properly or has stopped growing. Microcephaly can be present at birth or it may develop in the first few years of life. It is most often caused by genetic abnormalities that interfere with the growth of the cerebral cortex during the early months of fetal development. It is associated with Down’s syndrome, chromosomal syndromes, and neurometabolic syndromes. Babies may also be born with microcephaly if, during pregnancy, their mother abused drugs or alcohol, became infected with a cytomegalovirus, rubella (German measles), or varicella (chicken pox) virus, was exposed to certain toxic chemicals, or had untreated phenylketonuria (PKU). Babies born with microcephaly will have a smaller than normal head that will fail to grow as they progress through infancy. Depending on the severity of the accompanying syndrome, children with microcephaly may have mental retardation, delayed motor functions and speech, facial distortions, dwarfism or short stature, hyperactivity, seizures, difficulties with coordination and balance, and other brain or neurological abnormalities. Some children with microcephaly will have normal intelligence and a head that will grow bigger, but they will track below the normal growth curves for head circumference.



http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/microcephaly/microcephaly.htm

I still stand by my post. Over-and-out...:hi:

[Horse with no Name]

85. And I will stand by mine

Cause God knows...I have had to chart this assessment observation more than once in my career...and never has it been wrong.:hi:

[aquart]

11. GOTTEN mean? Public humiliation is the premise of the show.

I wouldn't watch it for money.

[Richard Steele]

12. Waddaya mean "gotten"? The MEANNESS is the reason for its poularity.

Without that, it would have just been one more
lame, quickly forgotten Star Search clone.

[Skittles]

15. ugh

the idea that a lot of the American public finds watching people humiliate themselves, or watching an asshole like Simon humiliate them, entertaining is beyond sickening - I watched one show the first season and was appalled by the senseless cruelty

[citygal]

16. I am not surprised.

I never watch that show and cannot believe how many people do. Network television today is pretty bad.

[Skittles]

20. and as long as they keep watching f***ing garbage like that

the networks will keep giving us more garbage

[Catherine Vincent]

17. Don't like the show or it's concept.

Mark my words, some hurt contestant will want to do harm to that Simon guy. He definitely acts like an arrogant ass.

[Generator]

21. Now that picture shows us a monkey!

Of course, you get to say nasty things about people with power and money who are sending thousands of innocents off to die.

The crime of the guy on idol? Not being able to sing? Being deluded in thinking he could sing? Being born with an unhandsome face?

And OH YEAH, Simon and Paula we all might say to our partner in our living room "that guy is butt ugly" but you don't say it to their FACE or on a national forum. It's called civility. Which this country has lost. See the chimp in chief for that reason why, the Republicans have been the kings of mean for years.

[Zookeeper]

61. I worry that one of the contestants will do harm to themselves...

The sixteen year old boy from Tuesday's show was quite dramatically unhinged. And the producers milked it to the point that I don't see how the kid could have gone back to school on Wednesday, without a great deal of ridicule.

That was just wrong.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SoCalDem]

23. American Idol is "The Gong Show" (made meaner by time).n/t

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

33. The Gong Show Was Great!!

I'd watch The Gong Show, but I would Never subject myself to Crap like AI. I'd rather catch reruns of The Gong Show from 30 years ago, than subject myself to 1 hour of AI.

The Gong Show was funny, witty, and the really awful acts usually knew how bad they truly were.

[Oeditpus Rex]

35. It also had several tongues

firmly implanted in its cheek.

[SoCalDem]

40. yep, the Gong Show was campy deliberate humor, AI appears to have

taken the "talent show" premise, and twisted it into public humiliation for a lot of desperate-to-be-noticed people (99.999% percent of whom have NO discernible talent)

I have maintained from day ONE, that the whole "show" was just a venue to promote their (already) signed newcomers (sworn to secrecy, no doubt) so that by the time they actually started making a record/CD, there would be a built-in audience craving their music.

The entertainment business is not "Golly Gee, let's put on a show". It's a nuts & bolts business, and this type of foolish program is just plain idiotic....but it does create a ready-made fan base for the newbies they churn out.

[Dukkha]

56. let's not forget the Gong Show's geatest hit

Gene Gene The Dancing Machine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceETKSktojw

[AX10]

24. I'm not suprised to see "reality" TV go this far.

Did you see God Damn CBS's "Armed and Dangerous"? :puke: :argh:

The people in charge of the show know who is likely to win and lose. They also know that some of the people who audition have ZERO chance of winning.

I do not watch any of these "reality" shows. I do not patronize any of the winning artists from the show either.

But what American Idol has proven is that the American People "sheeple" have no better or worse taste in music than the corporate record executives.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

25. I'm not shocked that there are vicious and sadistic shows

The shows are there because development executives for the network decided that these shows promoting cruelty are entertaining to the average viewer and will generate advertising revenues.

What shocks me is that a certain segment of the public has not changed since the days the Romans were throwing human beings into the arena to be killed by wild animals or each other, and that cruelty is viewed by some in this society as a source of viewing pleasure.

[Bozita]

26. GWB and American Idol linked in today's commentary at bushwatch.com

http://www.bushwatch.com/

Thursday, January 18, 2007

American Idol: Don't You Wish You Had A President, Just Like Me? Jerry Politex

As I watched "American Idol" last night, I thought of George Bush. One after the other, these young people, who couldn't sing to save their souls, proudly told America that they were the next American Idol, only to be given three thumbs down, larded by insults from the judges. One contestant in particular caught my eye: a grossly overweight woman in her mid-twenties: a straw-blond page boy, big, bright red lips, a golden tent of a shirt-smock draped over her nearly 300 pound body, spindly legs encased in back leotards. She breathlessly sang as flat as she spoke, and part of her lyrics were "Don't you wish you had a girlfriend just like me?"

If anything represents the triumph of misplaced American optimism in the face of a negative reality, this was it. Except George Bush's belief that Iraq and his surge toward dictatorship will be his positive legacies. Compared to the grotesque ugliness of George Bush and his plans, the woman on "American Idol" was a beautiful realist. In the essay that follows, Kent Southard explains how both Bush and the deluded singers on "American Idol" got this way.

more...

[AX10]

29. Excellent find!

:thumbsup:

[TahitiNut]

27. For the life of me, I don't know why anyone would care. Give me bread. Keep the circuses.

:shrug:

[Horse with no Name]

I care because it is the mentality that the Republicans have foisted

upon us.
When I grew up, I was taught that you don't make fun of the way people look because it isn't nice.
Now, it passes as entertainment.
I just see this as something that empowers playground bullies. This is what is wrong with our country in a nutshell.

[TahitiNut]

46. It's FOX. It's trash. I block Murdoch on my TV.

:shrug:

[Dinger]

28. I Wonder What They'll Do When A Contestant Who Has Been Humiliated By AI Commits Suicide?

Just wondering.

[ThomCat]

54. I'm sure they make everyone sign lots of releases with a lot

of small print to cover any possible reaction someone might have. :(

[canadianbeaver]

31. All bully all the time.......thats reality TV for ya!!

Its like school kids making fun of the poor person...or the one who wears glasses....etc....Reality TV has made the people watching bullies by association..so to speak....they sit and watch these shows and laugh and joke about who's on them and get satisfaction doing it....Every single one of the Reality shows are exactly the same....entertainment from other peoples misfortunes and what not...

I have done it, and I apologize now for my cheers and jeers of every single person I watched, whether it be Survivor or Project Runway, surreal life etc.....Yes I watched those shows and am not proud...

The only reality TV I watch now is Hockey...Go Canucks Go.!!! oh and maybe some TV news...but no more junk shows....

[tigereye]

36. yeah, but have you ever seen those talent nights at the Apollo?

that's serious stuff there.

Idol is one big put on. I usually don't watch it since it's so cringe-inducing and I hate that ululating singing style popularized by Mariah and her ilk.

[DaveJ]

37. It's just a talent show

Certain things are accentuated: 1) the mean judge, and 2) the funny contestants.

There's not much more to it than that.

[slj0101]

42. Basically, the entire cast and crew of American Idol

makes my annual "People Who Should DIAF" list.

[Blue_Roses]

44. I've never been one to watch it and didn't plan on it this season

but it was on that channel for some reason and we just left it on. It was painful to watch.

[Evoman]

45. Imagine scores and scores of people with no talent wasting your time.

Its no doubt frustrating. If you've ever seen Canadian Idol (our version), you would see how frustrated the judges get at people who very well know that they aren't an idol, wasting time. I really don't blame the judges, as much as I blame the people who edit the show and SHOW US all those mean moments. Besides, every single contestant on that show has seen others being utterly humiliated...I don't know how people can not realize how fucking shitty they sing (or even how ugly they are, I suppose).

That being said, I do believe those shows are shite. I watch them only when someone holds the TV hostage, and I'm out of books to read.

[Horse with no Name]

47. But you see

That's not how it works.
These people are CHOSEN to perform in front of Simon et al by the screeners.
If they had to see every bad performance, I could understand, but if they truly were just looking for singing talent--none of these people would move on to the round in front of Simon. They would have already been culled out.
But the untalented ones are put their in the place of talent strictly so they can laugh at them and insult them.

[jakefrep]

76. Whenever I see the hundreds of people....

....lined up around the block at the audition sites, I wonder about that. For every person with a modicum of talent, the judges have to sit through 20 train wrecks.

[HuffleClaw]

48. erm, 'gotten' mean? where've ya been?

that show's been mean since it began.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

55. They're mean to compensate for their lack of talent.

I refuse to watch the show. I saw the newsclip on MSNBC this morning.

Paula Abdul has a range of what...a fifth? Her dancing was ok, but not what I'd call great. I never found any of her tunes to be particularly inventive. She was cute, and that's about it.

I don't know who the other judges were. They're so snide that I really wouldn't want to know.

On occasion, I listen to people audition for various orchestras and competitions. If I ever served on a comittee that rolled its eyes and insulted competitors as these oafish assholes, I'd quit.

[Shell Beau]

59. I fully expect Simon to be mean. That is how he is.

They have to listen to endless horrible singers. But criticizing them about their physical looks is wrong. Call them sucky singers, but don't make fun of their appearance. But this is nothing new for the show.

[Maddy McCall]

63. I was more shocked that he didn't tell the fat girl in the gold shirt to put on a bra.

But that's just me.

The lemur-looking guy tried so hard to be cool, with his "dude" talk and gansta hands. I actually cringed more for him because of that than I did because of what Simon said.

Actually, Simon is why I watch the show. I'm not really a terrible sadist--I think that some of the people who audition do so because they want to be ragged on by Simon.

[Shell Beau]

65. OMG!! The gal in the silky yellow shirt...

:o

She needed a bra so bad!! They were to her belly button and just flopping around. Her mom's looked perkier!


Simon does say what most of us are thinking!

[Maddy McCall]

67. You and I have GOT to watch American Idol together sometime.

:rofl:

I swear, your comments sounded just like mine last night...I remarked that her mom's were perkier. LMAO.

:spray:

And that lipstick and hair.

See, I fully expected Simon to unleash on her, but he didn't. I was kinda disappointed. :)

[Shell Beau]

69. I was much more shocked about that than the

big eyed guy! That poor girl!

[Maine-ah]

75. lol, that was the first thing I said when I saw her!

"omg, that girl needs a bra!"

[KayLaw]

71. I read about that on another site.

Someone said the poor fellow seemed pretty hurt by the comments. I wouldn't watch that garbage for the world.

[Quantess]

73. The Seattle show, touted by drunk Paula Abdul as having the best delusional people,

Was emotionally upsetting for me, just a bit. Some of those contestants should NOT have been pushed to the the third round. Some of those contestants should have been given a viable "out" Now that I know that contestants must go through round #1 and then #2 before judges, then, be sent hopelessly hopeful in front of Simon, Paula, and Randy. They were cruel and mean this time.

I felt terrible watching the show. I wished I could have been there to comfort the ridiculed people, once they left the stage.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

78. If there's money to be made, then the midgets MUST be tossed.

[BlueStorm]

79. Ok, I missed it. Does anyone have a link to what happened?

[argyl]

80. "Mr. and Ms. America, here is your new American Idol!" Is that how

they wrap up the show at the end of each year? Never seen it;find the pretext ludicrous.

So a network picks out a group of people and one will be the next sensation? What bullshit.If they can't come up playing the small clubs and working their asses off then screw 'em.

I've seen some ads though;hard to get around that.This Simon guy would have fit right in on the old Gong Show from what little I've seen of him. Guess he got to be an American Idol by being a dickhead.

[OllieLotte]

81. I assumed there were 2 types of people that tried out.

I saw AI for the first time this week. I had assumed that there were two types of people that went on that show. 1) People with no talent that knew the they were lousy and simply wanted attention 2) People which had varying degrees of talent from questionable to the type that finally win (mostly questionable). I learned after watching the show is that there is a third type. People that have no talent whatsoever and have no clue. Those are the ones that make Simon his money. I thought they deserved to get ripped a new one - until I spoke with a coworker during lunch yesterday. He is a fan of AI and explained that everyone auditioned 3-4 times before Simon/Paula/? ever saw them. They were being set up for disappointment by being advanced.

"Gee Doggieboy - that rendition of "Stand by Me" that you did by flapping you arm over your hand making farting noises was awesome". Well, after hearing that 3-4 times from "judges" maybe I'd think I had some talent. So when I show up in front of Simon and he hides his face behind the clipboard after I display my "talent", maybe it was because I was led to believe I was pretty good. I'm not going to be a regular watcher of that show.

[fishnfla]

82. i talked to a long-time viewer too

her take was this: that one guy who did the 'she-bop'thing that caught on& brought alot of attention to him and the show...they are looking more and more for that angle, both the show and the contestants

[Orsino]

83. The Mean is the reason for its existence...

...so that aspect will be escalated. People aren't tuning in for talent so much as they are hoping to see people put down for aspiring to success above their station. The show became so ubiquitous that Americans have become jaded, so it's either get meaner or get canceled.

Just as with Weakest Link

[Yavin4]

86. One Day A Contestant Will Comitt Suicide After An Audition

They are dealing with emotionally unstable people that probably cannot handle rejection and have such low self-esteem that they're deluded into believing that being a pop star will make them normal.

Soon, the show will audition someone who will get rejected and committ suicide.

[jakefrep]

87. I think people who audition know exactly what they're getting into...

...The show's been around long enough that one would have to have been living in a cave to not know what's going on. I'm not sure there are any innocents here. The "musical train wrecks" know they stink and won't win the big prize - they're trying to be the next William Hung.